-8-

The Bath.

"This one looks abandoned, alright," Joyce said, casting a glance to the house Argyle was pulling the pizza van into, and a concerned look down at El. The girl was silent and asleep, her expression serene and peaceful; it had forever broken her heart to see that this girl, this sweet and innocent child who had suffered so much, had been forced to grow up, and the stress and pain had appeared visibly on her face.

"I'll check it out," Hopper grabbed his shotgun as Argyle finished parking, and he went into the house. A few minutes later he came back out, waving them in. "We're in luck, this place is empty; there's signs everything's gone, but there's still enough left."

"Please say it comes with a bathtub," Mike asked, while Hopper took El's body and gently laid her down on the couch.

"First thing I looked for when I had the chance," Hopper nodded at Mike as they walked inside the house. "I'll start it in a minute. You'd better keep an eye on her until the bath is full."

"Okay, I still don't understand why the bath is needed, I mean, I know you said it will help her rest and recuperate, but-," Karen said.

"El's powers take a massive toll on her mind," Dustin's nasally voice spoke in her ear, "when she expends a lot of it, she gets weaker; to help her recover, or when she needs to use her powers over a large distance, its best to help her cut off all outside interference. The bath will deprive her of her other senses, and let her recover."

Meanwhile, Hopper was starting the bath with Mike's help. As they worked, Mike filled Hopper in on some of the things that had happened. Both of them knew they would have to talk to the others, especially the Wheelers as they would be demanding answers, but the two of them were taking advantage of the current peace.

"So, let me get this straight; Owens took El to some facility somewhere out in a desert to get her powers back, and Brenner was there?!" Hop demanded in outrage.

Mike nodded grimly, sharing the older man's anger and outrage keenly. Both of them might not have a clear view of what Brenner had done to El during her time in captivity, but El had been very tightlipped about what had actually happened. "I saw him myself, I recognised him after seeing him up close in the school the first time the Upside Down attacked, just before El stopped the Demogorgon," he said, "he was badly injured, and he died; some army douchebags were shooting the place up, must be that military idiot who thinks El's a threat, like Vecna said."

"I'd hoped the bastard was dead," Hop sighed wearily. "It's bad enough so many people in the lab wanted her hurt, but now there's some psycho in a uniform that's doing it, too," he muttered in displeasure.

"I'd hoped he'd died after seeing and hearing what El had gone through, but Brenner's dead, now, Hop; he was shot, and he died. El sat and watched him die; I was too far to hear what was said, but I don't think El planned on saying anything nice."

Hop said nothing for a moment as he focused on filling the tub.

"We got there just in time to see El tear down a helicopter and smash it into the ground."

Hop chuckled. "I can see her doing that, but after seeing what she did to that helicopter in the square, I'll bet it wasn't that impressive. Mike, what happened to El to get her powers back?"

"El told us Owens and Brenner put her in another sensory deprivation tank, and they replayed footage of her time in the Lab; I don't get the gist or the mechanics of the process, but from the sounds of things, it's like they wanted to shock her brain into letting her use her powers again."

Hop nodded silently. In truth, he wasn't sure how El's powers worked, but he knew they were powered by her mind. "It seems that she's grown in her powers, too," he commented. "I'm gonna have to make it clear I don't see her as a tool; in fact, I've gone out of my way to keep her away from all of that horror."

Mike's face contorted furiously as he remembered what Vecna had said in the square, and how El had appeared to agree with him; it was true that El was their best fighter and her powers allowed her to seal up the gates, to say nothing against being able to beat and kill Demogorgons and the Mind Flayer.

But did El really think that was how she was seen by them all?

And then he remembered how he had not said he loved her or wrote that he loved her in his letters. El had kept all of them in a love box, for crying out loud, treasuring them, but all the time El had been hurting from the lack of true affection while in her letters, she had been bubbly and affectionate.

At the time Mike had been reeling from the changes that had hit them all since that mess with the Mind Flayer, the possessed Billy who died, traumatising Max and affecting her relationship with Lucas, who split from them, El and the Byers moving after Hopper's supposed death.

They were splitting up, going their own separate ways…and Mike had been reeling from all of that, but deep down…

"I…I kept in touch with El, while she was in Lenora," he said slowly, "but I was so scared I didn't sign I loved her in my letters."

Hop looked at him in horror, "You did what?"

"I know, it was stupid…but I did it because I was scared she didn't need me anymore," Mike said quickly, quaking at the older man's anger, "I didn't know when to say or write it, but what scared me the most was she would stop loving me."

"You're right," Mike flinched at the anger in Hop's voice, and he regretted saying all of this in front of Hopper; the man loved El, and was very protective of her. "It was stupid, what made you think that? Mike, you were the first person who truly helped her; Benny was killed too quickly, and she never formed a bond, but you helped her with so many things, and she would not be the person she is now if it wasn't for you."

Mike had to smile at his words, and he was grateful. "How's the bath?"

Hop checked the temperature. It was just right. "It's okay; we'll have to keep watch over it, and make sure it doesn't get too cold, but I'm more worried about how we can stop El from thinking she's a tool, and that's why we care for her."

Mike was in total agreement. "It won't be easy, not now she's exposed," he said thoughtfully, "What are we going to do?"

Hop didn't have an answer. To be honest, he was out of his depth.